Making Peace
by Alenor Peredhel
Summary: After eight years Edward visits Bella...okay I know that sounds like every other story going on here, but give it a chance! Things turn out for the better for everyone, and people move on. That's the way of life. Oneshot.


Disclaimer: The ideas behind the story are all from the wonderful writings of Stephanie. None of this belongs to me….well Bella's children might, and same with Cassie.

A/N: This is just a little one-shot I thought of. Its different then most stories of Edward returning to Bella, and I simply couldn't get it out of my head. So I hope you enjoy! Feel free to drop a review, and if you don't feel like it, I'll just be happy to believe you enjoyed reading this.

* * *

Making Peace

Whatever I thought my life would turn out to be, I hadn't imagined this. I suppose in all fairness, I had never thought that I would still be mortal by the age of twenty-five and not living with Edward. Nor had I had expected in the least to be married and carrying the second child of my husband.

When Edward had left me all those years ago, it had left me with a burning hole that I felt could never be fixed. I had been angry, sure that he had never loved me and was just brushing me aside because he had no longer wished to deal with me. In desperation I had done anything to hear his voice inside my head, in an attempt to bring him closer to me. It was Jake who first brought some semblance of normalcy back to my life, and later my husband finished what Jake had started..

I could never be more grateful to my husband. He saw in me, part of which will never heal, saw that somewhere I would love Edward until the day I died, and saw that I did not love him as I fully should. I had been worried at first that it would cause strife between our marriage, but it never has, always has he been kind and considerate, allowing me the time to gather myself together whenever the past collides with the present. I cannot ask for anything more.

As years have passed however I have matured in a way that I have come to understand Edward's decision to leave me. I no longer feel any anger to him. I know that he had loved me, and moving away had been his way of protecting me, from the dangers of living with a vampire. He had wanted me to move on, had said so himself, and I had. It hadn't been easy, but when I found that I could no longer be disappointed with him, I had gathered my life back together and applied to a few colleges. That decision had turned out to be one of the best I had ever made.

I'm a photographer now, living in a tiny, picturesque town on the edge of the ocean. It is barely bigger then Forks, but sunnier on most. My job mainly consists of taking pictures for the local paper, though I have set up a side job where tourists may come to me and request my services for the day. The services being that I take pictures for them, and of the group they are with. Often they are grateful to me, for it allows them time to explore the tourist spots and let me worry about their memories. My husband, Daniel, is currently working on his doctoring degree and only has a few more years left before he will be working at the local hospital. I had never thought I would marry a doctor, but it is odd what life decides to throw your way.

With my second child coming, I have been forced to take time off work. My clumsiness I have found, is only worsened when carrying the extra weight around. It had been easy the first time, as then I wasn't worried about my two-year old daughter tumbling off the small porch or getting herself into trouble. Thus far, I had been able to remained relatively unscathed and intact.

The sky was over cast today, a promise of rain and storms that were to be swept in from the ocean. A steady wind was blowing, but rather then being uncomfortable it was relaxing. I was sitting on the porch swing, lightly pushing it back and forth with my foot. The phone was cradled between my shoulder and ear.

Hannah, my daughter, was contentedly sitting on the floor, playing with irregular shaped blocks that constantly amused and astounded her. In the wind her light brown hair teased her face and the loose edges of her yellow sundress flapped gently.

I was keeping a careful eye on her, even as I was talking with an old friend. I knew her habit of suddenly growing tired of the blocks. Once tired, she would inevitably try to eat them.

"Bella? Bella, are you there?"

"Huh?" I jumped a little; pulling myself from the daydreams that had shrouded my mind.

There was long, deep chuckle that sounded over the line. "What were you thinking about Bella?"

"Life," I answered simply, switching the phone to my other shoulder. My eyes narrowed as Hannah lifted the block closer to her mouth then was necessary. "Hannah honey, don't do that."

The two-year old turned her innocent blue eyes on me and set the block down with more force then was necessary. I leaned back in my seat, rubbing a hand over my belly.

"And what is so important about life right now?"

"I'm pregnant, sitting on a porch swing, no job to speak of, what else am I supposed to think about?" I asked.

"Daniel not home yet?"

"No," I sighed, scanning the empty roads. "Alright Jake, I'm worried. He said he would be home an hour ago."

"Calm down Bella, if the weather is looking as nasty as you say it is, then he knows enough to buckle down and wait it out. Speaking of which why are you sitting on the porch in the first place?"

"Hannah!" I cried exasperated. I leaned forward a little and wrestled the block from my daughter's mouth. "No. You don't eat blocks."

Her lower lip protruded and she made an angry sound snatching the block back and slamming it against the floor of the deck. Then promptly she turned her back to me, ignoring me.

I could hear Jake laughing. "It sounds as if someone is giving you a hard time."

"You could say that," I murmured, closing my eyes as weariness stole over me. "Don't worry about me Jake, I'm fine. I'll go inside if the storm rolls in, but it helps to put Hannah to sleep if she's outside just before her nap. Besides, Daniel does this to me all the time, he probably got held up buying me flowers again."

"Again?" I heard Jake shout. "You two could open up your own florist shop."

"Oh bother," I laughed at him, opening my eyes, sensing something wasn't right. I tensed, clutching the phone a little harder.

My eyes swept the porch and a strangled noise escaped me.

"Bella? Bella what's wrong?"

"Hannah!" I cried, struggling to stand up quickly. "Hannah come away from the edge of the porch!" I didn't realize that I was still talking into the black cordless phone. I finally managed to stand as my daughter continued making a beeline for the stairs and the edge of the porch.

"Bella! Is she alright?"

I froze, my eyes widening as I realized that I would be too late to save Hannah from the tumble. I think I stopped breathing for a second, my lungs expanding, readying for the scream, my muscles tensing so I could toss the phone aside.

From nowhere, two hands reached out, steadying Hannah at the last second.

"Now where do you think you're going?" I heard a musical voice demand.

The phone slipped in my suddenly dead fingers, and my eyes widened as I stared into a pair of topaz eyes. I barely managed to keep my grip, my hands were sweating.

"Jake," I managed to choke out. "I'm going to have to call you back."

"Bella!" he shouted. "Bella is Hannah alright?"

"She is," I replied a little dazed. The phone slipped from my fingers and crashed onto the deck.

I couldn't move, I couldn't believe what I was looking at. Edward. Edward was here, on my doorstep. He was crouching, holding my daughter lightly at bay, even as she began to fuss with the close contact.

Edward. I felt I couldn't breathe. I had imagined dozens of ways that we would meet, I had imagined dozens of ways where I could call up some anger that I had once felt for him, but it wasn't happening that way. I could only stare.

Hannah's shrill voice broke me from my trance and shaking myself I rushed as quickly as I could to her side.

"She didn't fall Bella," Edward murmured. "I have her."

"Oh God," I whispered.

Edward stood, lifting my daughter with him. His topaz eyes glimmered with amusement. "I wouldn't have let her fall."

"Thank you Edward." I managed.

For a long moment we did nothing but stare, as if waiting for the other to start an argument we both knew would never happen.

I was the first to move, shifting my bulk to the side, and motioning towards the door. "Why don't you come in Edward?" I asked. "Its Hannah's nap time, so we should have a chance to talk. That is, if you don't mind?"

"I don't," he whispered. Holding my daughter carefully he swept into the house, leaving the door ajar for me.

I followed quickly after, the instructions to the bedroom upon my lips before realizing that he wasn't waiting in the hallway. Slightly amused I closed the door and absently checked the messy bun that I had done my hair in. My hands smoothed over the light blue dress I was wearing.

"Edward," I called. "I'm in the kitchen."

I knew that he would hear me, and I knew that he would hear where the kitchen was. Placing my hands gently on my belly I moved toward my favorite room of the house.

I loved our kitchen. When it was sunny the windows that surrounded it lit the area in brilliant beams of sun, and rainbows would dance on the walls. Since our house was facing toward the ocean, and there was no house behind ours, it also gave a nice view of the crashing waves as the water swelled and then sank. Today it was overcast and gloomy, so I was forced to switch the light on, spilling the room with artificial light.

"Do you want me to do anything Bella?"

I jumped as I heard his voice behind me. I almost tripped, but righted myself on the edge of the counter. "No, no it wouldn't be polite. Would you like anything? Tea? Coffee? Water?…" I paused and then turned to him, blushing. "Sorry."

A smile was fighting its way across Edward's face. He moved into the kitchen, seating himself in one of the chairs that surrounded the massive oak table. With his foot, he pushed the next one back.

"I won't be staying long Bella, I just wanted to talk to you for a moment. Sit down before you trip again."

I nodded, and moved toward the chair that he had offered. Gratefully I sank into it, grunting a little as the baby kicked. "Is Hannah sleeping?"

Edward nodded. "She was asleep before I set her down."

"That is good, she did not sleep well last night," I murmured. I stared down at the table before me, tracing lines in to the swirling finish of wood where light and dark grains collided.

"Bella, I'm sorry."

I lifted my head and saw Edward's eyes. For the first time I realized he was dressed in casual jeans with a dark gray sweater pulled over top. He still looked like the seventeen-year-old boy I had met all those years ago. He had not changed, whereas I had.

"Don't be sorry Edward," I told him, knowing what he was talking about. "What you did hurt, I will not deny that, but what you did, was also, necessary."

He stared at me blankly, and I found it strangely amusing that for once I had been able to silence him, instead of the other way around.

"You're still waiting for me to run screaming aren't you?" I asked him.

"Yes," he admitted. "I am. I imagined that you would be furious with me Bella, would tell me to leave…I never….I never expected this." His hands reached out, ice cold to the touch, and enveloped them over mine.

"Edward," I didn't try to pull my hands away. "There is no going back for us. I was mad, yes. But that was so long ago, and I understand now. I hold nothing against you."

"You do not know how much that eases my mind," Edward smiled. He applied a slight pressure to my hands. He stood, and stared down at me. "I'm sorry that I have taken this time out of your day."

"Why are you leaving so soon?" I asked. I attempted to lever myself out of my chair, but Edward's hand on my shoulder stopped me.

If Edward had been able to blush, he would have, but as it was his eyes guiltily traced the contours of the room. "I have a date in the car," he mumbled.

My eyes widened, and I smiled, forcing myself to my feet. "Well I am hardly presentable, but I would love to meet her."

Edward stared up at me in shock. "Bella," he gasped, disbelief in his voice.

"I'm not going to run and start screaming Edward," I admonished. "I want to meet her. Its time we put this whole thing behind us, don't you think?"

The answering smile was blinding, and with the enthusiasm of a little boy Edward nodded. "Her name is Cassie." He turned to hurry away but then paused and came back, slipping an arm around my waist. "Let me help you Bella."

"Thank you Edward," I said, smiling weakly. "Its an effort to carry this around. I'm afraid its twins this time."

"Twins?"

I laughed looking up into Edward's eyes. "I think so." I paused lowering my gaze, then lifted them again. "I would like for you to be there, when I give birth, the whole family even."

Edward stopped, and slowly turned me around to stare into his eyes. "Do you want that Bella? For me and rest of the family to be there?" he repeated me.

"Of course!" I cried. "My child needs all the fashion sense Alice can bring and I would like to right things with Rosalie."

"I never thought that it would be like this," Edward murmured, his face furrowed in confusion. "I had never thought you could accept what happened."

"I did," I said, lifting a hand and touching his cold cheek. "It took me awhile, but I came out of it alive, though I have never stopped loving you Edward. It is probably something you do not want to hear, but it eases a burden inside me to say it. It is too late however, for I have found someone to love me in a way that I can happily live the rest of my life with them. It's not you."

"Then I have my own confession to make then Bella," Edward said, not seeming to be surprised by my words. "I never stopped loving you and though your blood will always sing stronger, in Cassie I have found what my broken heart was looking for."

"Well I certainly hope you love her!" I cried, smiling. "Come on, introduce me to Cassie. I have an afternoon nap calling, and my husband to berate when he finally makes his way home."

"Where is he?" Edward asked, amused and sensing that he had passed the crisis in the matter.

"Out buying me flowers I expect," I grinned at him. "Then again the weather is a little bad so he may have been held up at his mother's place. I didn't go today, car rides make me feel when I'm pregnant."

"Do you want me to go find out if he is alright?" Edward asked.

"Sure," I smiled. "I would like that…on one condition."

Edward stared at me in confusion. We had made it to the front door by now, and his hand was resting on the knob.

"What condition?"

"That you come back for supper," I said. "And you bring the _whole _family, even Cassie."

"That's going to take some explaining," Edward said. "When we don't eat the meal your prepared for us."

I raised my eyebrows. "I would be insulted if you did not come."

"That is not fair Bella."

"It is perfectly fair. What do you say?"

"I suppose now that you have made the effort to invite us, there is no way I could keep everyone away," Edward replied, tightening his lips into a thin line.

"It will be fun," I insisted. I reached for the doorknob. "Now show me Cassie before she gets worried that I beat you with a frying pan."

Edward laughed and nudged the door open. "I do not think that it could do me much harm."

"No I suppose not," I said. "But it doesn't hurt to try.

Edward laughed, and looking up at him, I could only laugh as well. It may have taken eight years, but between us, things were finally right.


End file.
